


Neighbors

by Arctic_comet



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Future Fic, Getting Back Together, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-07 03:42:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21451459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arctic_comet/pseuds/Arctic_comet
Summary: A former couple has to work together thanks to a matchmaking cat (or the three times Nancy’s cat Luna went missing and ended up with Jonathan). Christmas-themed. Written for Day 6 of Jancy Week (Idiots In Love)
Relationships: Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler
Comments: 10
Kudos: 35
Collections: Jancy Week 2019





	1. Chapter 1

The smoke alarm’s shrill sound was enough to make Nancy’s ears hurt, not to mention poor Luna’s, so she opened the oven and carefully using an oven mitt, extracted the burned Christmas cookies, carrying them to the nearest window. Cracking it open, she tried to guide all the smoke outside before someone called the fire department. Wanting to err on the side of caution she opened the other two windows in her apartment as well, letting in the cool December air.

She wasn’t much of a cook, but a pre-Christmas get-together with her new friends required all of them to bring food, and for a reason she no longer understood, she’d been determined to bake cookies from scratch. 

_ Stupid. _

With a sigh, she turned to clean up her kitchen, until realizing that something was amiss. Her orange ball of fur hadn’t reappeared even after the fire alarm had gone silent. 

“Shit,” she cursed aloud, striding to her bed, kneeling on the floor to take a peek underneath it. No accusing, gleaming green eyes looked back at her. 

Her eyes focused on the opened windows, and she cursed again. Luna had never run away before, and New York City in December wasn’t a good place for an indoor cat. Hoping against hope, she stuck her head out of all the windows, calling out to her cat gently.

“Luna, where did you go?” She cooed, still not seeing or hearing her cat. What if she’d fallen off the fire escape? Her stomach sank. Cats could survive a fall from the 3rd floor, but they could still be hurt by it, too.

Taking out a box of wet food, she dumped it all in Luna’s cup and placed it on the window sill. The chicken was her favorite. Maybe she’d smell the food and hunger would bring her home, while she checked outside and talked to her neighbors. 

It was chilly outside, and Nancy huddled in her coat. Poor Luna wouldn’t make it out here for long. Wiping at her eyes furiously, she refused to give up. Although Nancy barely knew the other people living in her building, she was fully prepared to knock on every door to find Luna. That cat was the most loyal friend she’d had since she’d come to this city.

She started from the first floor, but half of the apartments were empty, or at least nobody answered the door. If she couldn’t find Luna today, she’d have to have some flyers made so she could slip them underneath the apartment doors for all her neighbors. An old woman on the first floor, who introduced herself as Mrs. White, invited her inside for coffee and seemed to feel very sorry for her losing her cat, but she hadn’t seen Luna. The other door that was opened revealed a man who only spoke Spanish, and with her own broken version of the language she managed to find out that he’d seen no cat. 

The second floor had two more empty apartments, and although there was music coming out of the third one, nobody came to the door, until she’d already turned her back to it.

“Ummm… Hi?” Called out a quiet male voice. Her heart skipped a beat at the familiarity. 

Nancy pivoted quickly, coming face-to-face with Jonathan Byers. _ Her Jonathan. How was he in her building? She hadn’t seen him in so long. _

He was wearing only a t-shirt and a pair of boxers in addition to a bewildered expression, he was just as surprised to see her.

“Oh,” she managed, at a loss for words. _ It still hurt to see him in a way that made her want to tear out her own heart to make the pain stop. _He didn’t look that different, aside from his hair being a little longer than he used to keep it.

“Uh, hi Nancy,” he said, finally starting to recover from the shock.

“Hi.” Closing her eyes, she tried to get a hold of her emotions. “Do you live here?” She asked.

“Yeah. And you?” She’d known he’d moved to New York, but obviously not _ exactly _where in the city. 

“I moved in a few months ago.”

Jonathan nodded. “Did you come here to complain about the music? I can turn it down,” he promised.

“Oh, no,” she said, shaking her head. “My cat ran away when I opened a window. She’s an orange tabby. You wouldn’t have seen her?” Continued Nancy, almost knowing the answer already.

He shook his head in a solemn manner. “No, I haven’t seen a cat. Do you have a flyer or something? So I can keep an eye out for her?” He asked.

“No, not right now. I haven’t had time to get one made and copied yet,” she admitted. 

Shifting his weight from one foot to the other in an awkward manner, he clearly considered his words carefully. “I could help you… I mean, I still do photography, so...” He trailed off, averting his eyes from hers.

Nancy gave him a small smile for his kindness. It didn’t come as a surprise to her, but the situation had to be uncomfortable for him, too. She wondered if he felt the same pain she did, and if she wanted him to. 

“That’d be great if it’s not too much of a hassle,” she answered.

“It’s not a problem,” he said, before coughing into his arm.

“Are you sick?” She asked, narrowing her eyes. 

He gave a shrug. “It’s a mild cold, and I’m not too sick to help you out. Promise,” he assured her. 

“What do you need from me?” She asked.

“A photo of the cat, and the info you want to put on the flyer. I can run to the school and get the copies done there real cheap.”

“El told me you study photography.”

“Yeah, it’s my last year.”

Crossing her arms in a defensive manner, she forced herself to look into his eyes. “I’m really glad you got what you wanted after all, you deserve it,” she replied, meaning the words. The last time they’d spoken he’d been determined to stay with his family, even if it meant never going to college. 

His reply came out quiet and soft, almost like a whisper. “Thanks.”

The awkward silence stretched out, but she felt that their shared past deserved at least some acknowledgement. When she at last decided to get back to business and pretending she was totally fine with living in the same building as Jonathan, she spoke again. “I graduated last spring, moved here and adopted Luna. The cat,” she clarified.

“Right. I’m really sorry you lost her.”

She nodded. “Thanks. I’ll get the photo and come back in a minute,” she told him.

***

The apartment was sparsely decorated, but there were photographs all over, many of them showing his family: mostly his mother and Will, but also El and even Chief Hopper. _ Once upon a time she used to be part of this. _

“This is a great photo,” she sighed, lifting a frame featuring Jonathan with his brother at Will’s high school graduation. 

Coming to stand beside her, he nodded. “Yeah.”

_ If the Byers hadn’t moved to freaking New Mexico, this would’ve also been Mike’s graduation. _ Bitterness raised its head in her heart at the lost chances. Time and distance and financial troubles had separated them, and she knew their joint decision had made sense for both of them, but sometimes… Sometimes she still hated it from the core of her entire being. As well as she knew that breakups happened to a lot of couples like them, some desperate part of her had always insisted _ it won’t happen to us, we’re Jonathan and Nancy. _

“I’m sorry, it’s just hard to wrap my head around you being my neighbor,” she said with a laugh.

He gave her a melancholy smile. “It’s a small world.”

“Seems like it.”

“So, did you have that photo of your cat?”

“Yeah, I’ve got it right here.”

“She’s a pretty cat,” he complimented with a smile, accepting the photo from her.

“I know. I… I know it may sound ridiculous, but she was sort of my first friend here. I don’t want to lose her,” she confessed. 

Avoiding her eyes, he spoke in a low voice. “It’s not ridiculous at all.” 

Taking a deep breath, she did her best not to tear up. His sympathy was so painfully in character to him, bringing back all the times he’d comforted her. W_as Jonathan lonely in New York? _

***

As Jonathan drew up the poster for the missing cat, he wondered how it was possible he hadn’t seen Nancy around the building until now. _ Maybe you should look somewhere else aside from the tips of your shoes. _

Hearing his mom’s half-amused voice in his mind made him smile. That was what she’d been telling him for years, wasn’t it? Having him shot us at his doorstep had nearly sent him into cardiac arrest. Her face was permanently engraved into his mind and whenever he felt lonely, it was often memories of her that he sank into. What they’d once shared was one of the bright spots in his life. There was no resentment on his end. _ Okay, so maybe that wasn’t entirely true. _ Nevertheless, his resentment wasn’t justified. She hadn’t wronged him, or dumped him. _ It just wasn’t meant to be. _

Their breakup had launched a crisis in his family, with his mom not sleeping or eating, but telling him to call her and talk it out. She’d blamed herself, and seeing her heart break while dealing with his own feelings on the matter had been… _ Rough. _But that was life, wasn’t it? Yet sometimes he couldn’t help but wonder what would’ve happened if they’d made it, if they’d found a way. That was despite knowing that breaking things off had been the right thing to do. There weren’t any journalism jobs at a small town in New Mexico, and he couldn’t… His decision to put his own dreams on hold had been necessary. It had all worked out in the end, hadn’t it? His family was all right now, and he got to study what he wanted. Nancy had a degree and hopefully held no grudges. More than anything else, he hoped she was happy. Now he had a chance to help her find her cat, and he wasn’t going to leave her hanging, even if she decided she never wanted to see him again after this.

“This is ready to be copied now,” he told her. He was going to take the subway to the school and be back with them before it was too late to knock on her door. 

“Great. I really do appreciate you doing this for me,” she answered. 

“Anytime.”

“If you ever need help in return, let me know, okay? I want to return the favor.”

“Sure.” He was never going to ask her for anything, but he appreciated the offer.

The next morning Jonathan was making himself a cup of coffee, when he happened to peek out the window. An orange cat was crouched on the fire escape of the building next to his. _ Luna. _

Sneezing, he hurried to dress._ Nancy _, he had to tell her about the cat, before it got away again. His heart hammering, he knocked on her door frantically, but she wasn’t home. Oh hell, how was he going to catch a cat on his own? 

He left the warmth of the building to head to the place on the fire escape he’d seen the cat perching. Luna was still there, her tail swishing every few seconds. She was on the same level as the 4th floor windows. He had to get her to come down somehow.

_ Food _. He’d get some cat food. 

He practically ran to the nearest grocery store, frantically searching for cat food, or something that could be used as cat food. _ Nancy had mentioned that Luna liked chicken, hadn’t she? _

By the time he had everything set up for the cat, he was shivering. _ Stupid cold. _

Wrapping himself in a blanket, he threw himself on the couch and closed his eyes. Within minutes, a warm weight landed on his chest, startling his fevered mind. His eyes flew open to meet Luna’s intense glare.

“Oh, it’s just you. Hi there.” As he knew zip about cats, he felt a little uncomfortable. 

Experimentally, he reached out to stroke the cat’s cheek. She sniffed at his hand at first, but didn’t move away from his touch._ So far, so good _. After a while, Jonathan heard- or felt- another noise. The cat was purring.

“So you like this then, huh?” He asked, still amazed that this creature was so willing to trust him. 

“Well, you can stay there for a while. We’ll go and see your mom in a few hours. She’s been really worried about you, you know?” He murmured as Luna kept purring. 

He kept nodding off throughout the day, and Luna stayed with him most of the time. As much as he loved dogs, he kind of had to admit he was starting to understand cat people a little better. He and Nancy used to joke around about getting a pet one day when they had their own place. She’d insisted on a car while he preferred the idea of a dog. The memory made him wistful now. 

“We loved each other, Luna,” he sighed softly, still petting the cat. “We really did.” Luna replied by chirping at him. “I’ve got no idea what that means,” he mumbled. 

After 5 PM he forced himself off the couch and gathered up the stuff he’d bought for Luna. It wasn’t as if he had any need for cat supplies, so Nancy should take them.

When he was almost ready to go, he turned to look around for Luna, but she was gone, apparently in no hurry to go home.

“Come on, Luna, I’ll take you back to Nancy,” he pleaded with the cat, getting on his knees. 

A plaintive meow came from underneath his couch. 

“It’s going to be okay, Luna. Come on, you’re safe, I’m not taking you back outside.”

The cat meowed again, but the treat in Jonathan’s hand was too tempting for her to resist. Picking her up, he was finally ready to return her to Nancy.

***

As he knocked on Nancy’s door, the improbable thought of this particular cat not being Luna after all crossed his mind, causing panic. Nancy would be heartbroken. When it took her a while to answer the door, he considered going back home and staring at the photo of Luna one more time to make sure he was bringing her the right cat. But how many totally tame orange tabby cats hung around their building?

Before he had a chance to leave, the door opened, revealing an ecstatic Nancy as her eyes landed on the cat. 

“Oh my God, you found her!” She exclaimed, practically throwing her arms around the cat.

“She was on the fire escape,” he replied.

“You have no idea how much this means to me, Jonathan. Thank you so much.” He saw a tear glimmering in the corner of her eyes and resisted the urge to wipe it off. 

“It was nothing,” he replied, shrugging. Seeing Nancy’s broad smile as she reunited with her cat made him happier than he’d been in a while. Actually, despite the cold he had, the last 24 hours were quite possibly the best he’d spent in this city. Sadly, all good things had to come to an end. Maybe they’d still run into each other in the hallways from time to time, perhaps even throw around a greeting in passing every now and then? If she didn’t think it’d be too uncomfortable.

“Merry Christmas, Nancy,” he said. “Take care.”

“Jonathan, wait up!”

“What?”

“I was supposed to be baking cookies when Luna ran away, but they turned out terrible, so I went to the store and bought a box. Would you like a few?”

Suddenly remembering he hadn’t eaten all day, his stomach rumbled. “Sure, sounds good.”

She hesitated on the doorstep, as if considering whether to ask him inside or not. “You- you don’t have to ask me in,” he said, wanting to avoid the weirdness that was sure to appear in their interactions if he entered her apartment. Also, maybe he didn’t want to know what her place looked like. It was easier to go on that way, this time with the knowledge that the love of his life lived so close to him. 

Nancy faced him and nodded. “Right. I’ll bring you the cookies, hold on.”

After giving Luna one last scratch behind her ears and carrying a small bag of sugar cookies, he returned to his floor and apartment. Just as he wondered how to stop himself from thinking about her even more now that they were neighbors, his phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hi honey, how are you? Are you still sick?” It was his mom, who still called him on most days. 

“Hey Mom, I’m feeling a little better now. How’s everyone?”

“We’re good. Anything special going on with you, Jonathan? You sound weird.”

Jonathan frowned. Sometimes he could swear his mom had to be a psychic. 

“No, nothing weird. I helped a neighbor find her cat today.”

“You did? That’s great. Is the neighbor nice?”

Smiling, he shook his head. “Yeah, she is. Very nice.”

“It’s a start, Jonathan.”

“I was just helping her.”

“And I just want you to be happy, that’s all. You’re a wonderful young man, it’s about time you showed that to a nice girl.”

Exhaling, he considered telling her the truth, but decided against it. This was nothing, after all. _ Nothing would change. _


	2. Chapter 2

It was the day of Nancy’s get-together with her friends. They were other girls from the office since she’d hardly had time to socialize outside of work after moving into the city. At times she wondered if she was odd for having mostly only casual friends, but after all that had taken place in Hawkins, she was determined to accept this as a part of her. Not that she didn't like her colleagues, it was just that there were things she could never share with them. Now the table was set for the most part, and she’d already scooped Luna off it several times as the cat had been exploring the snacks with a curious look in her eyes. She wasn’t sure if her friends would appreciate nachos and cookies that had been sampled by a cat. She really should make something else, like she'd been planning to. Technically she could still run to the store, but she liked the idea of serving home-baked goods. Besides, it wasn't as if everything else wasn't store-bought anyway.

Her thoughts took an unwanted turn to her neighbor, who knew his way around the kitchen much better than she did. She would be playing with fire if she asked him for help, _ again. _ Clearly the encounter had been awkward for both of them, and she shouldn’t make it worse. Yet she couldn’t help but want to poke at the wound, even though she didn’t believe they could be friends. When you loved someone the way they had loved each other, there was no going back. It would be fake, and she didn’t want a relationship like that with Jonathan. A thought flashed in her mind briefly: actually asking him out. There was no reason they couldn’t be together now if they could make it work. Nevertheless, that was probably the dumbest idea she’d had since moving to New York. Getting over him… Had been a journey, that she wasn’t sure was over even on this day. _ How did _he_ feel? Wasn’t that what mattered? _

_ Oh hell. _Wiping her brow, she wanted to smack her head on the kitchen counter. How had she gone from thinking about asking Jonathan to help her bake cookies to considering asking him out? She groaned aloud, receiving a bored glare from Luna. 

“Well, since it’s sort of your fault that I can’t serve this stuff, what do you think? Should I ask Jonathan to help me out with homemade cookies?” She murmured to the cat, giving her a scratch behind her ears. Luna purred, rubbing her cheek on her palm. 

“Sometimes I really wish you could talk,” Nancy sighed. Their family had never had pets while she’d been growing up; her parents had though having them meant more mess to clean up, and too much work, at least in the case of a dog. Mike had asked for one so many times she had lost count. 

Despite having so little experience with pets, visiting the shelter and making the call to adopt a cat had felt natural. _ Easy. _ And somehow, despite not even being aware that they were neighbors, Jonathan had been at the shelter with her, his voice whispering in her ear that she should totally get a dog. _ Like he wanted back when they were together. _

_Dreams._ They had so many of them once upon a time. Their breakup had been as amicable as they went, but still… Breakups were always sad. Especially when it was the last thing you wanted, and yet at the same time you understood why it had to be that way. 

_ Time to stop dawdling. _ Grabbing her keys, she slipped out of the apartment and headed for the stairs. _ He might not even be home. _

She knocked on his door, unsure if she wanted him to open it. It would sure be easier if he didn’t, as it would put a cap on her stupid fantasies of a second chance. 

His eyes were wide as he cracked the door open and saw her.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey.”

“I… You remember the cookies I failed with last week when Luna ran off?”

Jonathan nodded, but confusion was evident on his face. _ No shit. _

“So, uh, Luna decided that she had to taste the replacements and I’d rather not serve them anymore.”

There was a visible tug on one of the corners of his mouth as if he was trying to suppress a grin. 

“I need replacements for the replacements, and since I know you’re handy in the kitchen, I was wondering if you’d help me out. I-I can pay you-“

“Oh, come on Nance, don’t be stupid,” he interjected softly, shaking his head. 

“You’ll do it then?”

“Sure. When do you need them to be ready?”

Taking a glance at her wristwatch, she grimaced. “In about two hours.”

“Wow. Okay, then. I guess we should get to it, then,” he replied.

“But you need to promise me something.”

“What?”

“That you won’t laugh at me like you’re obviously about to do,” she said, staring him down. 

His hand flying to cover his mouth, he masked the laugh with a cough. “I’ll do my best.”

Suddenly she wanted to smile, too. The awkwardness was dissipating, turning into butterflies in her belly instead.

***

Jonathan’s head was yet to return to regularly scheduled programming after seeing her for the first time in years only the week before, and now she was at his doorstep again, asking him to bake cookies of all things. As hard as he tried, he _couldn’t not _laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, as well as the flashback this moment was giving him.

_ December 1984. Nancy and Holly baking sugar cookies and him helping out when the first batch failed. He told her he loved her for the first time late on Christmas Day. _

Carefully watching her reaction, her smile made his cheeks heat up and his heart soar. She was still so god damned beautiful, among other things. How many laughs like this one had they shared? All those may have been in the past now, but he sure preferred this over the weird tension of their reunion. 

Following her back to her apartment, he took a deep breath as he stepped inside. Aside from her pastel-colored bedroom back in Hawkins, he hadn’t been in a space that belonged to her. Luna was perched on a dresser, her tail swishing. 

“Hey you,” he greeted the cat.

“She’s a menace,” groaned Nancy, shooting a cold look at the feline.

He smiled to himself again, glad she had the affectionate cat for company. Maybe he should reconsider that pet idea after all. 

The solitude was enjoyable, but he couldn’t deny that every now and then he’d thought what it would’ve been like to realize their dream and have a home together. 

It wasn’t that they hadn’t wanted the same things, but rather that those things just weren’t possible. That was how he’d known parting ways was the right thing to do. The question of want had always been secondary to him; it had always been a question _of need. _ If he’d got his way, they would’ve never moved to New Mexico, instead, he would’ve relocated to New York or some other big city with Nancy after high school to work and attend college. He never wanted to leave her behind. Then again, his mom _hadn’t chosen _for their family to be targeted by monsters, much like she hadn’t chosen to be abused by Lonnie. Jonathan has learned to put his own wants and needs behind those of the people around him years ago, and although his temper had at times flared at being forced to be away from Nancy, he’d put that anger away, too, hidden it deep inside. No ranting or raving or accusing his mom would have made a difference, the distance would’ve still been there. It had been like fighting the tide: futile because much bigger forces were behind it. 

But now… Technically the obstacles that had once been present in their relationship were gone now. They were older, too. Was that a good thing? Did they still know each other? What if he asked for a second chance if she’d go out with him? This was hardly a decision that should be made quickly, based on one interaction, but he could entertain the idea, even if he eventually decided against it. The one thing he was already certain of was that he wasn’t going to talk to his mom about any of this. The downside to that was that he really had nobody else to ask for advice. Talking to his younger brother about Nancy just struck him as weird. So he was on his own as far as this decision went. 

“So, did you remember to put in the butter this time around?” He joked as he rinsed his hands in her sink.

She laughed. “Actually, I did. But this was possibly the first time I ever used the oven, so I think I mostly just need to learn how it works.”

“I… I could take a look at your oven if you want me to,” he offered. 

She shit him a look. “Since when are you an electrician?”

Turning scarlet, he averted his eyes from hers. “I know. It was a stupid idea. I did all that stuff back at home when we couldn’t afford a repairman.”

“I know. I just don’t want you to get hurt, especially over something as stupid as my dysfunctional oven,” she replied quietly.

Sometime in the past, he’d had a hard time talking to people about his family’s lack of finances, and no matter how much he hated to admit it, it had been one of the issues that tore him and Nancy apart. Having money meant having opportunities that were otherwise unavailable to you. The American Dream no longer meant anything to him, if it ever had in the first place. 

He nodded at her. “Okay, I promise not to tinker with it. We can just try to make something for you to offer your friends.”

***

As Jonathan tied up her apron around himself and turned to the counter, Nancy took notice of his butt. It still looked good in tight jeans, she mused to herself. There was nothing wrong with admiring someone’s physique, even if they were your ex-boyfriend. Back in the day she would’ve gladly stuck her palms into the back pockets of his jeans and pressed herself close to him. 

”Did you want basic sugar cookies?” He asked, bringing her back to the present day.

“They’re faster to make than gingerbread cookies, right?”

“Yeah.”

Settling into a companionable silence, with only Luna’s need for attention-mostly from Jonathan- interrupting their baking. Nancy rolled her eyes at the cat’s antics. _ Of course, Luna had decided that Jonathan was the best thing since catnip. _Not that his kindness to animals came as a surprise to her, but Luna was usually very wary of new people. Whatever this was about, Luna was up to no good, that was for sure. 

“Do you want coffee while we wait for the cookies to bake?” She asked him, nodding towards her most likely malfunctioning oven.

He blinked at her, apparently astonished she was offering him coffee. These were the moments when the awkwardness tended to reoccur, so why not try to do something about it? _ Please, Jonathan, play along. _

“Coffee sounds good.”

She smiled at him, and before she even realized it herself, she’d poured him a cup and added a little bit of milk, just like he always used to take his coffee.

“You remembered,” he muttered, staring at his coffee. 

“I’m sorry, old habits die hard. I’ll make you a new one if you don’t drink your coffee like that anymore,” she replied, talking so fast she wondered if he could even make out the words anymore.

“No, no, this is perfect. Old habits really do die hard.”

“Okay, great. How are you spending Christmas?”

“I’m driving home to see everyone, as usual. How about you?”

“I’ve got a flight booked for the 20th.”

He nodded. “That’s when I’m leaving, too. Are you taking Luna with you?” He asked, the cat reminding them of her presence by leaping into his lap. Jonathan scratched her underneath the chin and earned a satisfied purr.

“Uh, yeah. I’ve been trying to get her used to her carrier, but she still _ hates _it.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to be cooped up in a tiny crate for hours, either,” he mused.

The egg timer on the counter let out a loud clink, cutting their talk short. 

“These look good, Nancy,” he murmured as she set the cookies on the table.

“This is a lot better than my first attempt. I suspect it’s because of your help,” she admitted with a smile.

“Oh, come on, I hardly did anything,” he argued, but still beaming at her.

“You’ve always been too humble when it comes to your cooking skills, among other things.”

He raised a brow at her, making her realize how her words could be interpreted. Nevertheless, this time instead of hiding his unease with a cough, he flushed red and _grinned at_ her. Stupid as she was, she was unable to stop herself from returning it, and thinking of the other skills Jonathan Byers without a doubt still possessed. _ Were they flirting? Had she started it? _

After they’d finished their coffee, the cookies had cooled down enough to be iced. 

“Red, green and white? Is there another color you want?” He asked, mixing the red icing.

“I think we’re set with those three.” Turning to take the green icing for her Christmas tree cookies, she was faced with a horrifying sight: Luna was sitting in the bowl.

“Oh hell, no!” She groaned, removing the cat from the bowl. Luna’s stomach and paws were covered in green, while the icing itself was full of hair. _ Gross. _

“Oh, Luna,” laughed Jonathan. “It’s all right, Nance, I’ll make more icing.”

“Stop laughing!” She told him sternly, trying not to explode into fits herself,

“Nope,” he shook his head, reaching into the bowl he was holding and smearing the red icing on her cheek. 

_ Oh, she was so going to get him for that. _“Here, have some cat hair,” she replied, spreading green icing on his forehead, making him laugh even harder.

It started a war of icing and ended up with both of their faces covered in red and green icing. 

Nancy had more fun that night than she could remember doing in a very long time. 

“Well, the cookies are ready now,” he stated, placing the apron back to its hook.

“Yeah.” _ What now? _Obviously, unless she wanted him to stay, they’d have to say goodbye. 

“Have a good night, Nancy,” he said with a nod.

“You too, thank you so much for helping me,” she replied, holding the door open for him. Luna, the sneaky little bastard, tried to slip out with Jonathan, but she managed to stop her by blocking her with her leg.

***

Once Jonathan had departed, Nancy spent the rest of the time before the arrival of her friends in a daze, replaying the day over and over again. Nobody had made her feel like this, not before or after Jonathan. It was like she was walking on a cloud. In a way, this was new, and yet it wasn’t, and maybe that was what made it so perfect. _ The very possibility that anything could happen. _That he was close by.

She rarely indulged in daydreams, but this time she has to be dragged out of it by the doorbell. The three women behind it were the very reason she’d had a good excuse to seek out Jonathan’s help. Veronica, Jane and Heather. Jane was an intern, and the other two were assistants to the so-called real reporters, which was really just a fancy name for pompous middle-aged assholes who liked jerking women around.

“Hey, guys, great to see you. Come on inside,” she greeted them, stepping aside to let them pass her. 

“Thank you so much for having us, Nance. I love your place, it’s so cozy,” exclaimed Jane. 

As her friends hung their coats, Nancy momentarily lost sight of Luna, but since the door was closed, she was convinced the cat was safe and sound inside the apartment.

It wasn’t until they took their seats around the table and Nancy removed the covers from the food and Luna was still nowhere to be seen that something dark bubbled in the pit of her stomach like a premonition. 

“Uh, does anyone see my cat?” She asked.

The girls shook their heads.

“I figured she’d hidden underneath your bed or something,” said Jane with a shrug.

Luna was gone again. But how? Thinking back to the times she’d opened the door that day, she hazily remembered stopping the cat from leaving the apartment when she let Jonathan out. The memory was unclear because she’d been way too focused on him and his smile. She hadn’t opened the windows at all, so Luna must’ve gotten out when she let the girls inside. If she was lucky, she’d still be in the hallway, or maybe the lobby of the building. 

“Hold on, guys, I think she got out. I’ll go and get her,” she promised her friends, yanking the door open forcefully. She jumped as she came face to face with Jonathan holding Luna. 

***

After returning home from Nancy’s, Jonathan decided it was time to crack open the only bottle of wine he owned. He’d gotten it from a client whose wedding anniversary celebration he’d photographed a few weeks back. He didn't even really like wine, but after tonight, he felt like an exception should be made. His mind was in turmoil, and he believed the wine could help take the edge off. It didn’t, and it didn’t even taste particularly good, not that he knew anything about wines, though. It took him a while of sitting on his couch with a half-empty glass of wine to recognize the hollowness in his gut. It _was longing. _Over the last few years, he’d taught himself not to yearn for her, but it was different not doing it when she was so close he could practically see her every day. 

He’d had a great time with her, and he believed she felt the same way. _ Was that enough, though? _

Deciding to abandon the bitter wine, he strode over to the kitchen to rinse the glass, when he heard a noise. He turned off the tap and waited in silence. _ Meow. _There it was again, and it was coming from the hallway. It was definitely a cat, and he suspected an orange tabby named Luna. Opening the door, he peered outside. As soon as the door was opened, something orange slipped last his legs and into his apartment.

“Luna,” he called out gently. “What are you doing here?” He asked her, lifting her into his arms. 

”Let’s get you home to Nancy. I don’t mind you visiting, but you really need to learn to ask her permission before you seek me out,” he explained. Luna blinked at him slowly, clearly not listening. _ Cats. _Although he had to admit he’d taken a liking to the feline, and not only due to her owner.

“You’re almost starting to make me think I should adopt a cat,” he sighed as he carried her in the stairs.

***

“She came to my apartment, I heard her meowing through the door,” he told her sheepishly, holding out the cat for her.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she mumbled at her pet. There would have to be a serious discussion about this running off and ending up with Jonathan Byers. Luna looked wholly satisfied with herself as Nancy accepted her back. 

“I’m really sorry,” she told him.

“It’s no trouble, really. She’s a nice cat.”

“That’s probably how she feels about herself, too. Thank you, again.”

“You’re welcome.”

As they stood there, she realized they were back to being awkward around each other again. Maybe it would be easier for both of them if she moved out and there would be little chance of them coming across one another anytime soon. He should obviously be the one to stay as he’d lived there far longer anyway. 

“I- I should head back home. You have a good night, Nance,” he said quickly before practically running away from her door.

As she turned, she realized her friends had come to stand right behind her. 

“Sorry, Nancy. I think we scared him off,” said Jane.

“Who was that guy?” Asked Veronica, her eyes narrowing. She was the biggest source of gossip at her workplace.

“He’s my ex, actually. Lives in the building, too," she admitted. 

“Wow. That’s got to have been a surprise for you.”

“It sure was.”

“Your kitty seems to like him.”

“Why did you break up?” Asked Heather.

“His mom moved the family to New Mexico soon after the start of our senior year. We tried to make it work long distance, but it got harder after graduation, when I wanted to get a job and take classes, and he said he couldn’t leave his mom and siblings. So he stayed in New Mexico, and I left Hawkins and Indiana behind me, wanted to head for a bigger city. We felt that… That it was better that way.”

“That’s so sad," lamented Jane, placing a sympathetic hand on Nancy's arm.

“But it happens,” Nancy argued, although she’d felt shame ever since their breakup. Like her mom had told her, she’d always been a fighter. She should’ve fought harder for them. _ It had been worth fighting for. _

“Is he seeing anyone?” Wondered Veronica.

“I don’t really know.”

“You should find out. You’re both here now, so if there are still feelings to be explored…”

Nancy shook her head. “I don’t think that’d be a good idea.”

Veronica nodded. “I totally get what you mean. Why try something again if it's already failed once?”

Although she nodded in reply, the thought of their relationship having been a failure didn’t sit right with her. 

“He’s really great, though,” she settled on saying. Unless he’d turned into a totally different person over the last few years, but it didn’t seem that way to her. In fact, he seemed to be the same Jonathan she'd left behind, but had never forgotten.

“He’s cute," offered Heather.

And so, so many other wonderful things. _ Smart. Kind. Loving. Supportive. Dedicated. Talented. _And apparently had already been given the seal of approval by Luna. He still remained the last serious boyfriend she’d had, and that was nothing to scoff at. Shaking her head, she knew making a rash decision on this would be a mistake. They both deserved more than that. If it was meant to be, she would reach the right decision this time. 

  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! :)

Jonathan really should have left the day before, because according to the weather reports, the roads were going to close soon. As he took the last of his bags off the floor to head out to the car, the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Jonathan! Thank God I got to you before you left the city. The weather’s going to get so bad, Sweetie, don’t get on the road today.”

“Mom, I know. But it’s a long drive and I want to get started today. At the very least I’m going to try, okay?”

“Absolutely not. I don’t want you endangering yourself. Literally anything could happen.”

Jonathan sighed. Sometimes she got so damned overbearing that he felt fortunate to live so far away. It was a nasty thought and always made him feel guilty, but he was an adult and could look after himself.

When he didn’t give his mom a proper answer, she spoke again. “Promise me, Jonathan. We want you here safe and sound, even if it’s a day or two later than planned.”

“Fine. Okay. I promise,” he groaned, knowing there was a chance he might not make it home even for Christmas Eve. Next year he’d try to save enough money for plane tickets. As Nancy had done. 

Would the weather put a damper on her plans as well? He still hadn’t told his mom that she now lived in the same building, and he wasn’t really sure why. That was one of the biggest reasons he’d been looking forward to going home and seeing his mom in person. That would be the only right way to tell her the truth, and it would also give him a chance to figure out if his longing for her was worth pursuing. 

Ever since their last encounter around a week ago, his feelings hadn’t disappeared. If anything, they had grown in intensity. Still, he’d kept his distance from her, greeting her if they ran into each other, but nothing more than that. Good neighbors. That was what they were. 

Now with the storm complicating matters, would he get the opportunity to talk to his mom? Biting his lip, he decided it was time to take the leap.

“Mom, before you go, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about when I got home, but now I don’t know what that’ll be, so..”

“Sure, honey. What’s going on? Is it about the nice neighbor you were talking about?” She teased.

“Sort of, yeah,” he hesitated, wondering if there was a good way to break the news. “It’s Nancy. She’s moved into the building with her cat,” he blurted out.

There was no sound from the other end of the line, making him think he had been disconnected. “Mom? Are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. And I really need a cigarette just about now. How are you holding up? Has it been hard to see her?”

“A little,” he confessed.

“I know there’s more to this than you’re telling me, but I’m going to butt out of your business. I love Nancy, always have and always will. Hope you know that.”

“I know. And Mom? Thanks. That’s all I really needed to hear.”

“Anytime. I’ll see you soon. Stay safe!”

“I will. Say hi to everyone for me.”

Since he’d lost the battle on trying to get out of the city, he headed to his car to bring everything back upstairs. He felt relatively safe about his ability to cope with a possible loss of power; both his childhood and then the monsters he’d faced as a teenager had instilled an instinct into him to prepare for anything and everything. 

***

Nancy stood in the middle of the crowded departure hall of LaGuardia Airport, dragging a cart with two suitcases and Luna’s carrier. The place was a mess, and nobody seemed to be sure which flights would be leaving and which ones were canceled. Unfortunately the fate of her own flight to Indianapolis was still hanging in the balance.

The weather outside didn’t give her much hope of getting to Hawkins as planned, but she hadn’t given up yet. Luna meowed anxiously, wanting to tell her that she didn’t like the loudness of the space.

“I know, Luna. I promise we’ll get out of here as soon as I find out if we’ll be going to Indiana today or not.”

Due to the weather conditions, all domestic and international flights are now canceled. We apologize for this inconvenience and urge you to contact your airline directly to reschedule your trip. We kindly ask you to leave the terminal as soon as possible and seek shelter from the storm. 

Well, there was her answer, wasn’t it? Groaning, she headed to the pay phones, where a line had already formed. Maybe it was a better idea to go back to her apartment before calling her mom. She’d be disappointed, but it was still days before Christmas and there were plenty of chances for her to get to Hawkins before that. 

As she waited for an available cab, huddling down in her parka, she wondered about Jonathan. Had he been able to leave the city? Or maybe he’d be still be stuck at their building. Suddenly having to go back there didn’t feel like such a disappointment to her. 

They hadn’t talked much since Luna had ended up at his doorstep, and she wasn’t sure which one of them was more keen on maintaining that space between them. They were both retreating, just the way they had so many years ago. Except that this time there was no eccentric conspiracy theorist to visit. 

She managed to find a cab, but as soon as they got moving, Luna started complaining again, this time pawing at the door of her crate, too. 

“You’ll get out soon, just try to hang on for a while,” she tried to reassure the cat. 

When she returned with the rest of her luggage, she found the door of Luna’s crate open and the cat was nowhere to be seen.

“You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me,” she groaned out loud. Thinking about the weather outside, she hoped to God that Luna hadn’t somehow gotten out of the building.

Turning around to the stairwell at the sound of steps, she faced Jonathan, who was coming up the stairs with a bag on his back and Luna in his arms.

“Thank God,” she said. 

“She was about to slip out the door downstairs,” he revealed.

“I have no idea why she would’ve been on her way out in this weather.”

“Me neither, but who knows? She’s a cat.”

“Thank you so much, Jonathan. _Again._ So, I take it that you couldn’t get home today either?”

He nodded. “Yeah, the roads are closed, and the ones that aren’t, are full of cars. I don’t want to get stranded, the heating in my car really isn’t the best. Was your flight canceled?”

“Yeah, we just got back from LaGuardia. It was a disaster out there.”

“You’re lucky you made it back.”

“That’s true, I guess.”

He made to leave, but she called out his name, a sudden and urgent thought entering her mind.

“Awkward question, but do you happen to have any food?” She asked. “I emptied my fridge for the most part so nothing would spoil over the holidays.”

“I did the same thing. I have to stuff in the cupboard, but nothing fresh. I’m sure there’s enough for both of us.”

“That’d be great. I’d rather not resort to eating cat food,” she confessed, eliciting a grin from Jonathan.

“Luna might mind that, too.”

“Yeah, she’s pretty territorial when it comes to food.”

“Well, we’ll figure it out.”

“Would you like to wait out the storm with us?”

He blinked, but she could see be was pleased. The realization warmed her body, leaving a pleasant tingle in its wake. 

“Sure. We could lose power, too, so I can bring flashlights, extra blankets and a battery-powered radio.”

“Sounds good.”

_Were they about to have a date?_ This seemed like something that regular neighbors wouldn’t do. She opened the door to her apartment and brought everything inside, taking extra care that Luna was where she was supposed to be. 

Jonathan showed up a few minutes later with two large bags in tow. 

“Wow,” she told him, trying to relieve him from at least one of the bags, but he didn’t let her. “I‘ve got it,” he assured her.

An awkward silence followed, with Jonathan setting down his supplies in her living room and kitchen. He pivoted to look at her. “Is this… Is this getting weird, Nance?” He asked. “Because I can go home, we can share the food and any other stuff you need,” he continued. 

“Do you want to go home?”

“Do you want me to go home?”

“You can be honest with me,” she said. Like they used to be.

“Ditto.”

“Looks like we’re at a standstill, then.”

Another loaded silence followed, and Jonathan picked up Luna, who immediately began purring in his arms. At least the cat had little trouble expressing how she felt. 

“I think… I think we should spend more time together,” she whispered, stealing herself for possible disappointment. She didn’t think Jonathan wanted to avoid her or anything like that, but it was always a possibility that he wasn’t open to anything more than what they had.

He raised his eyes from Luna to look at her, and Nancy thought his eyes shone so brightly that there had to be a layer of unshed tears there. An urge to make it better, to hug him, filled her. 

“I think so too,” he replied, a small crooked grin dancing on his lips. 

Instead of enveloping him in a bone-crushing embrace, she reached out to run her fingers through Luna’s orange coat. Her hand collided with his, making them both freeze. 

“I’ll get started with dinner,” he said, transferring the car into her arms.

Nancy and Luna watched him go, and she buried her face into the cat’s fur. 

“You have good taste when it comes to people,” she whispered. 

***

As Luna enjoyed her leftovers of canned tuna on the floor, Jonathan kept his eyes on his plate of beans, tuna, carrots, crackers and assorted jarred fruits. They had ended up seated on Nancy’s couch, their legs covered by blankets after they had lost power around an hour earlier. 

Most of the sounds of the city has quieted down as the snow had stopped traffic and the power had been lost. The only cracks in the silence were the occasional sirens released by emergency vehicles. It was almost magical to see New York City like this. The candles Nancy had lit bathed her apartment in a warm glow, wrapping him in inside it, too. As if he were a part of the place, just like her and Luna.

“Thank you for the dinner,” she said. 

“You’re welcome. Thanks for asking me to come over.”

“I’m not even going to say anytime. Maybe you don’t even want to hear this, but if you ever need help, you can always come to me. And it’s not because we’re neighbors, so we can drop that bullshit.”

He grinned. “That goes both ways.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“I guess.”

“Do you think we’d still be together if we’d never broken up in the first place?”

He liked to think he was more confident and less often struggling to find words than he used to be, but did she really have to pose the same question he often found himself thinking about? Partial honesty still struck him as the best policy.

“I don’t know, Nancy. Does it matter, though? We can’t change the past,” he replied softly. 

“I… I never forgot about you. I hope you didn’t think I would.”

“I didn’t forget about you either.” _You were my best friend, not just the girl I wanted to share my life with. _Despite everything they'd been through together, a part of him had expected her to be able to move on from him with less pain than him. 

“Where does that leave us now?” She wondered out loud.

As his heart was about to pound out of his chest cavity, he forced himself to exhale deeply before answering.

“Wherever we want. There aren’t any rules.” _The real shit. Shared trauma. Wasn’t the ultimate shared trauma to be pulled apart by circumstances that weren’t in your control while you still loved each other?_

“And even if there were, those rules could still be broken.”

“Exactly. Are you happy?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Good. That’s all I wanted when… When we broke up. I didn’t want to turn into one of the things you regretted later in life.”

“That hasn’t happened. But on the other hand, I’m not sure if it was meant to end that way.”

“Not everything has to last forever.”

“No, but some things do.”

Their tearful goodbye had preserved the memory of their love into something resembling a snow globe. Never-changing, never fading, yet still closed from the surrounding world behind a dome made of glass. That wasn’t real life, though. 

“I’m glad you moved here, Nance. You’ve already pushed me into making a decision,” he told her, trying to steer the conversation into topics that were more easily controlled, that didn’t hurt his heart so much. 

“Really? What have you decided?” She asked. 

“I’m going to adopt a pet. As soon as I get home from Hawkins.”

She smiled. “That’s great. Are you getting a dog or a cat?”

“I’m not sure yet,” he replied, reaching out to pet Luna. “This girl here has sort of gotten to me,” he admitted.

“She likes you, too. You may have a talent with cats.”

“Or maybe just her.” He’d made a promise to himself to head to a shelter after the holidays were over, but now he was unsure. What if he ended up adopting a cat that hated him? In the big picture and considering all he and his family had been through, these concerns seemed silly and meaningless, but the thought of providing an abandoned animal with a safe home felt like a big responsibility. They had their traumas, much like everyone he’d ever loved had theirs. Including Nancy. Not hurting them further was vital.

“Would you mind going to the shelter with me?” He asked, feeling heat creeping up his neck. “You know cats better than I do and you know...“ he trailed off, hoping she’d understand what he was implying.

“I know you?” She completed, and Jonathan nodded in relief, even though she may have been asking a question rather than making a statement. 

“I’d love to come,” she continued, her voice soft and gentle. As if she was honored to be asked. Affection- _he was scared to even think of the other word that kept swimming around his brain_\- for her took over him, prompting him to lean over and capture her lips with his. 

***

Nancy didn’t even dare breathe as he kissed her and she kissed him back, hoping to convey the words that were too heavy to be voiced right now. This was far too fragile and precious. As her palm found his cheek, she realized she’d do anything not to ruin this. Perhaps the kiss had been a spur of the moment thing from his side, but she could tell he wanted this, his mouth sliding tenderly over hers. 

“Merry Christmas,” he whispered breathlessly as they pulled apart.

“That was probably the best Christmas present I’ve ever had,” she admitted with a soft sigh. 

He gave her a wry smile. _“Probably?”_ He mimicked her tone.

“I wouldn’t want you to get a big head.”

“Of course not.”

“This really is our chance, isn’t it?” She asked.

He nodded, confirming it to her great joy. “Yeah, it is.”

“I don’t want to waste it.”

“Me neither. We can take it slow, Nance.”

“That’s probably what we should do,” she answered, although she could already tell it would be a challenge. Sex was secondary to their emotional connection, but she had missed him so much that there was an almost overwhelming need to be close to him. 

“Glad you agree,” he murmured, a kiss landing on the skin of her neck, right below her chin. Her breath caught in her throat, her heartbeat speeding up. 

“Does this count as taking it slow?” She asked breathlessly as he continued his attack on her neck, nuzzling her skin.

“You just smell so good,” he admitted sheepishly. 

“Kiss me again,” she told him, and he obliged, his mouth back on hers. Nancy wrapper her arms around his neck, pulling him closer underneath the blankets. This blizzard was one of the best things that had ever happened to her. This was a place where time was infinite and all outside complications had ceased to exist. The perfect moment just for the two of them. She would’ve traded any moment that had taken place over the last few years just to have this. They stayed on the couch for hours, watching the snow fall heavier and heavier, his arm around her shoulders. Their kisses were far from harmless, but she couldn’t stop, and neither could he. 

“It’s getting late,” he noted, showing her the time on his wristwatch. It was 1:20 AM. 

“So it is.”

“I should go home.”

“I think you should stay. We’ll both be warmer,” she replied, proud of the excuse that wasn’t fooling either one of them.

“If you’re sure.”

They blew out the candles and moved over to her bed. Luna found a comfortable spot at their feet as Jonathan and Nancy fell asleep in each other’s arms. 

***

It was Nancy who woke up first the next morning, thanks to Luna, who was biting the tip of her nose. _Menace._

“Are you hungry?” She asked in a whisper, trying not to wake up Jonathan. He was still asleep with his chest against her back, an arm wrapped around her waist.

Luna meowed. Of course she was hungry.

They still didn’t have power, so Nancy shivered as she forced herself out of the warm bed to feed the cat.

“I’ll give you some kibble, but then I’m going back to bed,” she murmured.

Luna rubbed herself on Nancy’s legs as she made her way to the kitchen. Just when she was done pouring the cat food, Jonathan walked into the room, rubbing his eyes.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi. Sorry to wake you, someone insisted I feed her.”

“It’s okay, it’s getting late anyway. Still no power then, huh?”

“Guess not.”

It was a little uncomfortable again, although they had just slept in each other’s arms. She wondered if he had changed his mind about giving them another chance. 

“I want to kiss you,” he exhaled, breaking the silence. 

She was so happy to hear that she kissed him. 

“I was scared you’d changed your mind,” she confessed.

Jonathan raised a brow at her. “Really? By the time I came here last night, I’d already put a lot of thought into this. I was considering asking you out, but wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea. I was supposed to make a decision over Christmas, but…”

She grinned. “I made you decide sooner.”

“And I’m glad you did. This feels good. Really good,” he sighed, taking her hands into his. As he leaned his forehead against hers, she was transported back into their last moment in his old room in Hawkins. The day that changed everything. That day was likely the entire reason they were in this situation now. Over the years she had felt many things over his mother’s decision to move, most of them negative, and like the teenager she’d been, she’d let out some of them to Jonathan. Some of them she’d talked out with her own mom, and then there were the things she’d kept inside her. 

“Are you planning on moving several states away anytime soon?” She asked.

He shook his head. “Nope.”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” he replied, sealing the vow with a kiss. 

“Let’s go back to bed,” she groaned, pulling him close. 

He pretended to struggle with his answer. “Hmmm… Okay. But only if you go outside with me later,” he finally said.

Nancy raised a brow. “Outside? Why?”

“Have you ever seen New York covered in this much snow? There won’t be many people around.”

“You’re suggesting an adventure?”

“Isn’t it time for us to make new memories together instead of sitting around and thinking about the old ones?”

She nodded. “You haven’t changed much, Jonathan.”

“Neither have you. Since your flight was canceled, do you want a ride to Hawkins for Christmas when the weather clears?” 

“Yeah… I- we’d - love it.” 

“It’s a date, then,” he sighed happily. 

“It’s going to be a _long_ date,” Nancy marked. 

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No. We have a lot to talk about, anyway,” she replied, and she meant it. As great as it would be to live in this new reality reminding her of light cotton candy, there were so many things she wanted to know about how he’d spent his years without her. Now that he was right there and she could kiss him anytime she wanted, thinking about their time apart brought on an ache in the center of her chest that she wanted to ease. 

“We can talk,” he assured her. 

“Would you mind if I came back here with you, too?” She asked.

“Not at all. My mom knows I have to come back here pretty soon anyway.”

One day they would have to let their families into this bubble of theirs, but for the time being she wanted peace and quiet and absolutely no interference from anyone. It didn't matter what anyone else thought. 

“Good. I- I want to go there with you sometime, though.”

“She’d be happy to see you.”

“She’s not mad at me?”

“She was never mad at you. I’m the one she yelled at, insisting that I should call you and convince you to get back together. I think… I think she blamed herself.”

Nancy nodded, not knowing what to say, because in her darkest moments she had blamed Joyce Byers for all their pain, too. 

“I blamed her sometimes, too,” he continued. Hearing his admission with her own ears was a relief. “There’s no need for blame anymore,” she murmured. 

He nodded. “We only look forward.”

“Exactly.”

"Now about that going back to bed idea of yours... I'm actually a little hungry, so breakfast first?"

"Sure, as long as you're the one cooking," she joked, playfully shoving him towards the kitchen.

"Hope you enjoy cold toast and canned peaches," he announced after a quick inventory of their food supplies.

Nancy laughed as she headed to the bathroom with Luna following in her wake. It was all going to be okay. _They_ were going to be okay.


End file.
